Professor Wado worked on the berimbolo and various takedowns which can be achieved from the bottom position. He was very relaxed and pleasant. Professor Wado was hands-on in his approach to correct every student during drills. He sparred afterwards, spontaneously exhibiting a cartwheel pass, and looking like he was enjoying himself the whole time.

Professor Hironaka taught guard passes and reversals by single leg take downs. He was straightforward and quite humorous, inducing a lot of laughter with his self-named techniques “Pillow Talk” and “Obey”. His interaction with long-time classmate Professor Aramaki was jovial. Hironaka sparred quite a lot with the students, and showed them the practical usage of the techniques he taught in first-hand action.

Two clips of techniques the professors taught start off this video interview. Following the seminar, MMA-in-ASIA was able to sit down with all three professors, Wado-san and his students Aramaki and Hironaka. Topics discussed ranged from Wado-san’s beginnings in Shooto, through the state of BJJ in Hong Kong and Japan, to Hironaka’s perception of the Japanese MMA scene and his next MMA fight.